Pollen wall development in mango (Mangifera indica L., Anacardiaceae)

Abstract

The mango (Mangifera indica) is a woody perennial crop currently cultivated worldwide in regions with tropical and subtropical climates. Despite its importance, an essential process such as pollen development, and, specifically, cell wall composition that influences crosstalk between somatic cells and the male germline, is still poorly understood in this species and in the Anacardiaceae as a whole. A detailed understanding of this process is particularly important to know the effect of low temperatures during flowering on pollen development that can be a limiting factor for fertilization and fruit set. To fill this gap, we performed a thorough study on the cell wall composition during pollen development in mango. The results obtained reveal a clear differentiation of the cell wall composition of the male germline by pectins, AGPs and extensins from the early developmental stages during microsporogenesis and microgametogenesis reflecting a restricted communication between the male germline and the surrounding somatic cells that is very sensitive to low temperatures. The combination of the results obtained provides an integrated study on cell wall composition of the male germline in mango that reveals the crucial role of the sporophyte and the gametophyte and the vulnerability of the process to low temperatures.

Notes

Author contribution statement

JL and JIH conceived and designed the study project. JL performed the experiments. JL and JIH wrote, reviewed and edited this manuscript.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad—European Regional Development Fund, European Union (AGL2015-74071-JIN, AGL2016-77267-R). Distribution of the JIM antibodies used in this work was supported in part by NSF grants DBI-C421683 and RCN009281.